System and method for selectively transmitting electronic messages

• US 7,076,241 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2000
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Twitter Inc (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zondervan, Quinton Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): FERGUSON, KEITH
• Application Number:
  US09/481,511
• Time in Patent Office: 2,372 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412, 455/403, 455/422, 455/426, 455/424, 455/425, 455/556, 455/550, 455/458, 455/517, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/422.1, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/466, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/500, 455/73, 709/232, 709/206, 709/201, 709/203, 709/218, 709/219, 709/213, 709/214, 709/228, 379/93.08, 379/100.08, 379/100.09, 358/402, 358/403, 358/468
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A client/server based system provides an integrated messages system for a user having access to accounts on a number of different terminal communication devices, including at least one wireless terminal device. In a preferred embodiment, the system includes an agent that selectively transmits messages addressed to a particular user to at least one terminal device. The agent is connected to a wireless communications server and is adapted to receive and distribute messages, such as e-mail, from and to a multiplicity of senders and recipients, such as terminal devices interconnected over a network. Messages received from a terminal device and intended for a user may be forwarded to the user by the agent via a wireless communications server and wireless terminal device. The system enables the user to receive the incoming message and to reply to such a message or to generate an original message. Upon receiving a reply or original message, the agent, based upon certain information received from the user or upon a profile, processes the reply or original message received from the wireless communications server and forwards such message to one or more recipients in the form of a standard communications application whereby the recipient is presented with a message that appears to have come from a typical terminal device rather than from a wireless device.

Claims

1. An integrated messaging system comprising:

at least two terminal devices associated with a common user comprising a first terminal device and a second terminal device, wherein at least the second terminal device is a wireless terminal device;

a server capable of routing electronic messages and of receiving at least one electronic message addressed to the first terminal device and of determining if a size of the electronic message exceeds a threshold size;

a database that stores at least one electronic message addressed to the first terminal device; and

at least one scripting agent that accesses the database, retrieves the electronic message addressed to the first terminal device stored on the database, and processes the electronic message for transmission to the second terminal device, wherein a summary of the electronic message addressed to the first terminal device is created if the size of the electronic message exceeds the threshold size.

2. The integrated messaging system of claim 1 further comprising a physical monitoring device to monitor a status of the common user.

3. The integrated messaging system of claim 2 wherein the status of the common user comprises a level of user activity at the first terminal device.

4. The integrated messaging system of claim 1 wherein the electronic message is retrieved by the scripting agent after a passage of a predetermined amount of time during which the electronic message has not been opened at the first terminal device.

5. The integrated messaging system of claim 1 wherein the scripting agent retrieves the electronic message upon a determination of substantially no user activity at the first terminal device.

6. The integrated messaging system of claim 1 wherein the scripting agent creates the summary of the electronic message and causes the summary to be transmitted for transmission to the wireless second terminal device in accordance with a user profile.

7. The integrated messaging system of claim 6, wherein the scripting agent retrieves the electronic message upon receiving a request for the electronic message from the wireless terminal device.

8. A method for managing communications between at least two terminal devices associated with a common user comprising a first terminal device and a second terminal device, wherein at least the second terminal device is a wireless terminal device, the communication management method comprising:

receiving an electronic message addressed to the first terminal device;

determining if a size of the electronic message exceeds a threshold size;

storing the electronic message in a database;

accessing the database with a scripting agent to retrieve the electronic message;

processing the electronic message with the scripting agent for transmission to the second terminal device;

creating a summary of the electronic message if the size of the electronic message exceeds the threshold size; and

transmitting the processed electronic message to the wireless second terminal device.

9. The communications management method of claim 8, further comprising monitoring a status of the common user.

10. The communications management method of claim 9, wherein the status comprises a level of user activity at the first terminal device.

11. The communications management method of claim 8 further comprising:

holding the electronic message in the database for a predetermined amount of time during which the electronic message has not been opened at the first terminal device; and

enabling the scripting agent to access the database after the predetermined amount of time to retrieve the electronic message.

12. The communications management method of claim 8 wherein accessing the database with the scripting agent comprises accessing the database with the scripting agent to retrieve the electronic message upon a determination of substantially no user activity at the first terminal device.

13. The communication management method of claim 8 wherein the summary of the electronic message for transmission to the wireless terminal device is created in accordance with a user profile.

14. An integrated messaging system comprising:

at least two terminal devices associated with a common user comprising a first terminal device and a second terminal device, wherein at least the second terminal device is a wireless terminal device;

a server that routes electronic messages and is capable of receiving at least one electronic message addressed to the first terminal device and of determining if a size of the electronic message exceeds a threshold size; and

a scripting agent that processes the electronic message addressed to the first terminal device for transmission to the second terminal device by creating a summary of the electronic message addressed to the first terminal device if the size of the electronic message exceeds the threshold size.

15. The integrated messaging system of claim 14 further comprising a physical monitoring device to monitor a status of the common user.

16. The integrated messaging system of claim 15 wherein the status of the common user comprises a level of user activity.

17. The integrated messaging system of claim 14 wherein the electronic message addressed to the first terminal device is processed by the scripting agent after a passage of a predetermined amount of time during which the electronic message has not been opened.

18. The integrated messaging system of claim 14 wherein the scripting agent processes the electronic message addressed to the first terminal device upon a determination of substantially no user activity at the first terminal device.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the scripting agent creates the summary of the electronic message addressed to the first terminal device based on a user profile.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the scripting agent creates the summary of the electronic message addressed to the first terminal device based on at least one of a prioritization of words based on predefined terms, a number of times words appear in the electronic message, and user defined rules.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the threshold size includes a number of characters.

22. A method of managing communications between at least two terminal devices associated with a common user comprising a first terminal device and a second terminal device, wherein at least the second terminal device is a wireless terminal device, the communication management method comprising:

receiving an electronic message addressed to the first terminal device;

determining if a size of the electronic message exceeds a threshold size;

processing the electronic message with a scripting agent for transmission to the second terminal device by creating a summary of the electronic message if the size of the electronic message exceeds the threshold size; and

transmitting the summarized electronic message to the second terminal device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the scripting agent creates the summary of the electronic message based on a user profile.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the scripting agent creates the summary the electronic message based on at least one of a prioritization of words derived from predefined terms, a number of times words appear in the electronic message, and user defined rules.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the threshold size includes a number of characters.